BT Forum

Holly,

You should check out Landy's tri team.  They meet right in your area.  They have weekly ows swims and other trainings.  Members are super nice and range from IM to beginners.   Landry's bike shops in Natick and Westborough also might be a place to look for bikes.  They also offer group rides indoor and outdoors.  Fast splits is a tri shop on Newton that offers computraining classes with world class athletes.

Good luck with the move.

Welcome.

I got my fit from Brian at Fast Splits last year. He was great to work with.  I didn't get my bike through him (got mine 2nd hand) but with his fit you get a contract of service regardless of where you get your bike. 

I live pretty next door to F'ham and have found many great (safe) rides on the Charles River Wheelmen website (http://www.crw.org/CueSheets/index.php) which was recommended to me by another BTer.  

As for Timberman...if you don't know already, train hills.

Hi Holly, Timberman was my first HIM last year, and I'll be doing it again this year. It was a fun race!

I'll second Landry's as a good bike shop to check out. I got my roadie there. I got my tri bike at Wheelworks in Belmont. Also had a great experience with them, so there's certainly a number of places to choose from. Not sure if they carry both of your brands of interest (both of my bikes are Specialized), but they have websites where you could check that ahead of time.

I'll also second the Charles River Wheelmen for group rides. Well run, nice people and good routes. A lot of them start in the central MA area, so I'm sure you could find some that would be convenient for you.

I do all of my OWS at Walden Pond in Concord, as do a lot of other triathletes. It looks to be only a half hour away or so from Framingham, so not too bad.

Welcome!

I'll 3rd Landry's as a great shop. I bought my bike & had it fit at the Norwood, MA store (ask for Aaron!). They did a FANTASTIC job, and have been an A+ place for follow ups, questions, whatever.

Not all that familiar with teams, etc as I'm a solo trainer, racer, etc.

Mike

Welcome HOlly

I don't know much about Landry's for bikes but I get all my stuff from Fast Splits over in Newton.  They are awesome!  You will be close to Walden Pond: a favorite for OWS in the spring/summer and fall.  Dreamfar http://www.facebook.com/pages/Dreamfar-Triathlon/155924154444596  is a great team that often meets out there for all three sports.

You are in a great area for several different options.  

It doesn't appear possible to find one store that sells all of the bikes I'm interested in. Originally liked the idea of the Slice or one of the Cervelos but the Felts look nice too. Which do you look at first, the fitting that the shop does, or the brands they sell?  Landry's looks  like a good mix, they have the Felt and Cervelo, no Cdale, but I can also try a Trek. I'm more concerned about fit. Timberman will be my first HIM. Glad to see there are so many options for OWS. Can you swim in Walden Pond year round? Whats the best place in the area to ride hills? Going up to MA next week for househunting. I hope to find a place around the Hudson area.

Thanks for all the info

I would so go for whatever bike fits you best.  I have a QunitanaRoo - woman specific.    Riding hills - kinda my specialty this past year.   Blue Hills in Milton - less than a mile 8% grade but the region is hilly....a little further out is Mt. Wachestts in Princeton once the snow melts.   i think its 2 -3 miles at 5% grade.....a little further is Pack Monadnock just over the NH line (1.5 hour drive)  Area is extremely hilly and the route up the mountain in 1.4 miles at 12% grade.  I am sure there are other hills around but I trained on these for the hillclimbs series - uphill bike races

This site http://www.northeastcycling.com/ offers reports/routes and grades of some of the surrounding hills/mountains from NH/VT/MA/ME

you can swim in Walden all year if you got the cajones.  Most winters it does freeze but this year it has not and Ive seen 2 or 3 people braving the elements last month.

Holly, I live in Framingham so feel free to contact me directly (PM) if you have specific questions I can answer for you.  I have been a member of Landry's team for the last few years, but I have not been very active with them since I've also been involved with starting the Dreamfar Triathlon Team.  Both are great organizations, and I can fill you in on the details of both if you want.  I'm also familiar with most of the bike shops and gyms in the area.

Hi Holly - 

I live in Framingham - do you know whereabouts you'll be moving to? I live north of 90, and if you can avoid the downtown area for running/biking, that's always better .  I got my (road) bike from Belmont Wheelworks, and they seemed fine to me.  I've also done a good deal of business with Landry's - but if I were getting a tri bike, I'd go to either Fitwerx on the north shore, or TTbikefit in RI.  Obviously RI is more of a hike - but in both cases, I've known people who go and get evaluated for fit first, and then get a bike frame and manufacturer recommended based on their mechanics.  More expensive - but if you are dumping a few thousand on a bike, certainly worth the extra $300 to make sure you get the right one.

Regarding run/bike routes - my favorite bike route is around the Wachusett Reservoir - about a 45 mile round trip from Framingham.  It's nice pavement most of the way, scenic, and with what I've found to be pretty courteous drivers.  There are lots of places in Framingham and surrounding towns for running - sidewalks are pretty prevalent.

For swimming, my secret is the Atkinson pool in Sudbury.  It's like $40/month for non residents, but it's an 8 lane pool that is almost purely for lap swimming.  They usually reserve a couple lanes for family swim in the evening, but I've been able to have my own lane 90% of the time - however I do go at odd times, partially for that reason  Only downside is that a couple local HS teams use it during the winter, so that makes it kinda tight.

The other place I've discovered for swimming nearby is Chauncy lake in Westboro, just a bit west of Framingham.  They hold a sprint tri there in the summer, and the water is pretty decent.

Feel free to send me a PM if you are interested in more details for run/bike routes.

Welcome to Mass Holly..I live on the North Shore so not very helpful re local gyms & clubs to the Framingham area but as far as bike shopping goes I would highly recommend Fitwerx in Peabody..they have Cervelo & Felt & Parlee & Guru as well as others I bought a cervelo from them last year. They don't carry Cannondale .They have state of the art fitting.

If you are going to do any shorter tris pre/post Timberman I would suggest signing up asap as most of the good ones sell out early..particularly Cranberry Trifest which is a big BT gathering at the end of August.

Good luck house hunting!

Thanks for all the helpful information everyone. We ended up in Holliston. We're in the process of moving up there. Has anyone ever used Grace Bicycles? They're having a sale now on QR bikes and its right down the road from my house. I'm still looking at buying a tri bike. I checked out Landrys. Can anyone recommend a good location, low traffic, to take the new bike out and learn how to ride in aero position without killing myself? Also, recomendations for tris? How well run are the Holliston race vs Ashland?

Hey!  Welcome to MA.  I used to live in South Jersey and like living up here much more.  Framingham is a nice place to live - lots of shopping and few good restaurants.  

The biking out here is great.  There are a lot of farms to the northwest of you...

I'm not sure where you are going to rent/buy but a good gym to check out is Boston Sports Club - they have gyms all over the area.

Not sure if you'll be in the area next weekend - but there is a sprint tri in Hopkinton.

Good luck and PM me if you have any other questions.